Recently I began to indulge myself in Netflix. Apparently they have lots of good movie. I came across a movie with the title 'The Theory of Everything' and little did I know that it was about the famous Stephen Hawking. 

    The movie which was directed by Jack Marsh, display in details the life of the theoretical physicist. The story began at University of Cambridge where Stephen Hawking begins his romantic relationship with a literature student, Jane. As Stephen was continuing his research, he began developing symptoms. One day, while he was walking in the squares of the university, he collapsed. Later on, the doctors diagnosed him with motor neuron disease; a disease that will eventually unable him to move, swallow, talk or even breath. The doctors even said that he only has 2 years to live. 

    Stephen began secluding himself till one day Jane confessed her love to him and is willing to stay by his side even if his condition worsens. They got married, had 3 children and Stephen presented his thesis but slowly his condition began to change. The rest of it you can watch for yourself. 

    There are two things that caught my attention in that movie. One was how dedicated Stephen was. Despite his condition, he never gave up hope. He still pursued what he wanted and eventually became famous. There was a phrase he mentioned towards the end of the movie which was:

    'We are all different. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do to succeed at. While there is life, there is still hope'. 

    To imagine his condition, unable to move, to speak, to do anything a normal human being could do....is beyond comprehension. A man in such condition stops at nothing to achieve his goals and dream.

    And secondly, the character displayed by Jane which were bravery and kindness. Despite knowing Stephen's condition, she still wants to be with it. How pure that love is, amazing isn't it. She looks after him, looks after the house. Towards the end they would show that she had feeling for a man who helped the family, but I'm not focusing on that part. What I focused on was that she knew what she was heading for and she still went for it. 

    Overall it was a really great movie and definitely worth watching.   

 Going back to the year 2020, it wasn't just the pandemic part that had me worried but also other things that would trigger me. Of course it wasn't just that one year but even during the years before. I often find myself being triggered so easily, even at petty issues. And due to that, I stress out, argue a lot and could even go days without speaking to anyone. 

    But then I realized, things will always be the way they are and it is I who must deal with the stressful, worrisome things in my life. So, I began to wonder on how to not let certain things bother me. Each of us respond to obstacles and challenges in different ways. I may have a few suggestions to that and have also tried them out.

1. Acknowledge

    It is the first step to knowing that there are some things beyond your control. When you acknowledge a situation as it is, without you realizing, you're actually setting yourself free. You avoid making yourself to feel like a failure when you are unable to change that situation. 

2. Journaling

    Some thing are better written than said. Believe me, I've tried and it helps put my mind off. Every time I'm mad about someone or something, or when I am in a difficult situation, I would write those feelings, and frustrations on a paper. Then, I would seal them in an envelope and place them in a box with all my other written notes. It does only help be get better at writing, but it also avoids be from showing my rage towards others. 

3. Exercise Mindfully

    When some things bother you too much that you are unable to throw them out of your mind, you should move that thoughts and put them into an exercise. When I'm bothered, I would do some chores, do the dishes, clean my room or sometimes talk to my pet bird. After all that chores, I would definitely feel exhausted and would opt for a good rest. In that way, I don't have time to think about what bothers me.

4. Do What You Can

    You may not entirely control the situation but there are some parts you can handle. For instance, make a plan, see what you can do at that very moment. Don't waste time and energy pondering on that problem. 

5. Connect To The Energy Around You

    Try quieting your mind and allow yourself to be in the moment around you. It can be yoga, religious prayers or just a quiet space, take a break and allow yourself to absorb positive energy from within and once you're down, it is like clicking on the restart button. I do that most of the time. I unwind myself through prayer, soft music or just a quiet space. I take in a deep breath and exhale them out strong. I look at things around me like trees, birds, nature, kids and other stuff. It helps me stray away from the problem.

6. Find What Makes You Happy

    Your happiness is what must matter the most. Being happy might not take away the whole problem but it will help you fight against negativity. I noticed when I'm bothered, I began ranting or murmuring a lot and of course it's a negative talk. But when I surround myself with things that make me happy, be it food or people I love, I find it easier in letting negativity go. 

7. Reframe

    Often when we're in a negative situation, we tend to be stuck from thinking further. Being stuck does not allow you to further think. Here I would suggest that you take a stand for yourself. Know what you are facing and know what you want. Then, find a solution for it and make it happen. I went through a tough time with certain people bothering me (to be precise, back-stabbers). I found it hard to let go because I felt that if I let go, I would be alone. But then I took a stand for myself. I decided that if I don't let go of the negative people I am with, I cannot move forward. It was then I decided to cut off ties with few people. And to be honest, it was at first tough, but now I feel as if I am able to breath again. I feel great and whatever talks or thoughts they have about me, does not really bother me because I know who I am and what I want. 

    So you see, there are solutions to such situation. We are bound to get annoyed, frustrated, tensed but we must also know we can handle them. It may not look easy for a start but when you stay strong, you can surely see the benefit of it.  

Social anxiety is the fear of being judged and evaluated negatively by other people, leading to feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, self-consciousness, embarrassment, humiliation and also depression. For many people with chronic acne, feelings of being overly self conscious, inferior and simply not acceptable or good enough come often while social anxiety can be caused by acne, and affects how a person acts around others. 

Many experienced this and the most common feelings are :

i) Cancelling plans with people due to the fear of being judged negatively because of skin, and wanting to avoid comments.

ii) Avoiding seeing or making any eye contact with people if skin is particularly 'bad'.

iii) When with people, avoiding certain lighting.

iv) Experiencing an internal feeling of anxiety about skin when around others.

If any of you experiencing social anxiety due to acne, I would suggest you to :

i) Reaching out to someone you trust such as counsellor, therapist or friends who you can share your fears with. 

ii) Love and practice techniques such as breathwork, hypnotherapy, self acceptance and other stress reduction techniques.

iii) And always remember that you are not alone if you are going through this.

More than five thousand families are affected during the massive Pahang flood involving around 19,000 people have been evacuated to around 240 relief centers. As you can see the picture below it shows an institution is flooded half way and also a picture of Pahang road been destroyed.

                                                              Photo by The Star

                                                             Photo by The Star

As per the Social Welfare Department's (JKM) data entry, Maran locale actually recorded the most elevated number of evacuees, totalling 4,501 individuals, trailed by Temerloh (3,020), Lipis (2,551), Raub (2,402), Jerantut (2,329), Kuantan(2,321), Rompin (1,012), Pekan (430) and Bera (410).

In PERAK, an aggregate of 520 flood casualties, involving 152 families from three regions, have been emptied as of 7am today (Wed), with Hilir Perak recording the most noteworthy number, at 484 individuals, trailed by Kampar (32) and Muallim (four).

     Does being drunked means to allow oneself to be raped? I for sure object the issue. 

Taken from Google

    Yesterday, a 23 year old flight attendant was found death in a hotel bath tub after being allegedly gang-raped at a party.The victim, Christine Dacera, checked into City Garden Hotel in Makati, Manila, Philippines to celebrate New Year with her friends and collegues. 

    Around 10am, one of her friend, Rommel Galida, found Christie in the bath and thought she was probably asleep and took a blanket to cover Christie before heading back to sleep. Several hours later, she woke up and found Christie still unconscious and was slowing turning blue. Fellow cabin crews then immediately performed CPR on Christie but she failed to respond. Christie was then rushed to the hospital where the doctors declared she was dead.

    Results from the authorities showed that Christie had bruises and cuts and the authorities assumed that she was gang raped as there were laceration and sperm in her genitals. Authorities also discovered that about 10 people attended a private party in one room in which only 3 of them were Christie's friend and the rest were merely strangers. Police chief Harold Depositar comfrimed 11 men who were with Christie at the time of death, charged. 

    Reading this piece of new, I came across a post on Instagram: 

Taken from Instagram

    When a girl or women is drunk and unconscious, does that give rights to men to defile her? Seeing that post, it looks like there are excuses given to rape and I find the reasons ridiculous. The point is not about whether a woman is drunk or what she wear but it is simply some men find it hard to resist such lustful desire. And at the end of the day, the woman is to be blamed for being raped. Is there not anything to do about this? 

If there’s one highly anticipated and much talked about series on Netflix this year, it’s probably the fourth season of ‘The Crown’.

You can catch this scene on the eighth episode of season four.

Interestingly, that’s not all that netizens have spotted – they’ve managed to track down the original photo, which was recreated during a scene where all the Commonwealth leaders were gathered for a photo op.
 
In the original photo, Tun M was standing behind Thatcher, but in the series, his stand-in (that looks nothing like him, just a random guy in Baju Melayu) was placed in the third row, further away from his original position.

We live in a world that is so fast-paced that we rarely have time to relax. Things are happening so quickly, and the days are just ticking away that it seems like we are losing out on time.

However if you don’t think you need to rest and unwind, you can collapsed from exhaustion. As the saying goes, “Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses along life’s busy way.” Every now and then you got to listen to your gut feeling and if you feel like you need to take a step back, go ahead and do it.

Here are eight signs it’s time to take little pauses to relax and recenter yourself.

1. You have trouble sleeping

Sleep and energy balance are essential for health. People who are overworked have more trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. Bear in mind that when sleep fails, health declines, decreasing quality of life.

2. You have difficulty focusing

You’re slouched in a meeting, supposedly paying attention, but your mind has long since wandered off. When you’re too overwhelmed to focus on what’s in front of you, it could be a sign you’re overworked.

3. You keep making mistakes

Another serious sign of needing to relax is keep making mistake or repeating the same oversights. This can be problematic for your reputation or job security. If you sense you’re making an unusual number of mistakes, arrange for some time off to regroup.

4. You start losing your passion for work

Work can get too routine that you no longer find it interesting. At the other end, you can get too stressed out by work that you start losing your passion for it.

5. You want to be alone more often

Are you spending increasingly more time alone because of work? While there’s no harm wanting a little alone time, you might want your “me” time more often than usual if you feel stressful.

6. You ‘turn to drink’ to relax after a long day at work

Studies indicate that many people drink as a means of coping with job stress. Those experiencing chronic stress and burnout may be more vulnerable to using alcohol and food as ways to ease stress in favor of healthier options like exercise.

7. You’re in physical pain

Workplace stress are linked to pain levels in employees. Stress also promotes inflammation and pain sensitivity, resulting in headaches, backaches, and other aches and pains are signs a vacation is long overdue.

8. You get frustrated quicker than usual

As a result, you regularly venting your frustration at your loved ones, colleagues, even though they did nothing wrong. How many times you have quarrelled with someone after you needed to make a tight deadline at work or had to stuck in a bad traffic jam? It happens, and it’s a sign that you need to take a step back.

By Siti Nur Athirah

Malaysians should abstain from consuming 3-in-1 beverages. These drinks and cereal preparations are cheap and convenient but are laden with excessive sugar which brings with it many hidden dangers to our health.

Malaysians are reported to be among the highest consumers of sugar in South East Asia. In the 1970s, Malaysians consumed about 17 teaspoons of sugar a day. This figure went up to about 21 teaspoons a day in the 1980s. Now, Malaysians are reported to be consuming an average of 24 teaspoons of sugar per day. This is because sugar is present in almost every kind of processed food as well as being an accompaniment to beverages at food outlets and at home.

In addition to these 24 teaspoons, beverage manufacturers have now found another way to increase our daily sugar intake. They insidiously inject extra sugar into our diets by marketing 3-in-1 beverages such as coffee, tea, chocolate, malted drinks and cereal admixtures combined with creamer and substantial amounts of sugar. These beverages are cheap, easily available, convenient to consume and are targeted at people who lead busy lifestyles. They typically contain up to 4.4 teaspoons of sugar or about 80 kcal (kilo calories) each!

The glucose in the sugar gives the consumer a ‘sugar rush’ that they think will help by providing more energy at work or at school. By consuming something that is high in sugar content, and at the same time subconsciously believing that sugar is the real source of energy, many feel as though they actually have more energy.

This is, however, untrue and is only a placebo effect.The truth is that we get all the energy that we need from our food sources. According to the Malaysian Dietary Guideline published by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in 1999, in order for us to obtain all our daily caloric requirements from food, all we need to do is eat a balanced diet from a wide variety of foods and eat in moderation.

This is sufficient to provide us with our average daily energy requirement of between 1500 to 2500 kcal. In fact, according to the Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNIs) for Malaysians by the National Coordinating Committee on Food and Nutrition of MOH, as much as 70% of our energy requirement is obtained from food based carbohydrates alone (of which sugar is a form of) and the rest from fats and proteins.

As such, there is absolutely no reason for us to ingest added sugar in any form for our energy needs.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) cautions that not more than 10% of our energy needs should come from sugar. If an adult were to live a fairly inactive lifestyle as most Malaysians are known to do, his daily caloric requirement would suffice at only 1500 kcal.

If 10% of this energy were to come from added sugar, it would mean consuming eight teaspoons of sugar or 150 kcal. As reported, Malaysians are already consuming 24 teaspoons of sugar equivalent to 432 kcal outside of our dietary intakes. This is an increase of almost 300% over the WHO recommendation!

In addition to this, a sachet of just one 3-in-1 chocolate drink containing 80 kcal would boost sugar intake by a further 512 kcal or approximately 340% over the WHO recommendation.

Unfortunately, many Malaysians do not stop at consuming just one sachet of these beverages in a day. We habitually consume far more added sugar and calories from these and other sugar- infused drinks in a misguided attempt to boost our energy levels.

With 24 teaspoons of sugar already in the bloodstream of most Malaysians, an additional three sachets of 3-in-1 beverages a day in excess of WHO’s cautioned 150 kcal would increase our sugar intake to 37 teaspoons or 670 kcal – exceeding the WHO safety threshold warning by almost 450%!

For those whose bodies are unable to regulate glucose, irreversible diabetes can result. This sugar if left unexpended as energy can be metabolised by the liver and returned to the bloodstream as fat.

For those who absorb these additional and unnecessary calories from the sugar and creamer which is also laden with calories and saturated fats, and who live sedentary lifestyles, obesity and cardio-vascular diseases are a real risk. Sugar also feeds cancer cells and is linked to more than 60 other diseases.

It destroys the body in many ways – eroding health, planting disease and ultimately shortening our lives. In short, sugar kills.

Sugar is an unnecessary and dangerous pleasure drug. At a time when Malaysians make up the fourth highest number of diabetics in Asia, it is imperative that we desist from consuming sugar-laden 3-in-1 beverages as a start to living sugar-free lives. It would mean the beginning of healthy and productive Malaysian lives free from the addiction to sugar.